Alkema Family Reunion

The Alkema side of the family has not had a family reunion in 14 years. I have been a part of it for 11 years, and I still had not met a few of Ryan's cousins and one of his Uncles. (Ryan's father is the oldest of 13 kids.) Needless to say, we were VERY excited to have this reunion. We went to Pine View, Utah. Boston became fast friends with the dog.

We had a horse shoe pit, volley ball, pool table, ping pong table, and a croquet set for amusement.

Every night had several games of volleyball.

The best (and most coveted seat in the house) was on Grandpa's lap.

Brooklyn and Sadie were taking care of their baby cousin, Kylie.

Bryce and Brittney eager to get in on the volleyball game

Spectators about to rotate in the game: Richard, Doug, Stacey, Chris, Denise, and Jared.

Grandpa brought all sorts of fun trinkets for the kids. Here are some light up glasses.

We tried our best to "unplug" during the reunion. It helped that there was very little cell service. So we played A LOT of games!

Bryce and Kylie

Brooklyn

Grandpa Rich became "Grandpa" to all the kids even if he was actually their uncle. :)

The location was just perfect for such a large group. There was a huge main lodge with a huge kitchen and industrial sized freezers and fridges. It also had extra rooms on the second floor. Then there were additional small cabins for families with double bunk beds.

We needed this type of vacation so badly! It was so good to get away from the "busy" life and reconnect with nature.

One of the highlights of the reunion was our family Jeopardy game. It was all questions and answers about our family members. We learned a lot of things about our extended family. There was so much laughter and so much bonding it was AMAZING! We played well into the night and enjoyed every second!

Adorableness

Steve was a big factor in getting the reunion together. We are so grateful to all those who planned it!

More adorable...

We wanted to go on a hike, so we loaded up in the back of Nate's truck and drove to this beautiful lake nearby.

We were singing camp songs on the way up. The kids were in heaven. Sadie also had a sweet bond with her Great Aunt Kimberly. I was a little sharp with her one day and she told me, "FINE! Then I'm running away. And I'm going to Aunt Kimberly's house. And I am NEVER going to skype with you or come to any family reunions EVER AGAIN!" Haha

It was GORGEOUS! And perfect for little hikers.

Exploring

Grandpa was constantly playing with the kids. He's just awesome!

Nate

Games...games...and more games!

We had SUCH a great time! We all vowed we would have another reunion within the next 3 years. 14 years was WAY too long.